


Blades of Friendship

by oriolegirl



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-08-14
Updated: 2008-08-14
Packaged: 2017-10-17 11:10:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/176246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oriolegirl/pseuds/oriolegirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sheppard leans forward. "I suppose they're all doing quads now. I never did manage to land more than a double, myself. Actually, I never really liked jumps. Spins, now, spins were awesome."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blades of Friendship

**Author's Note:**

> This started life as two comment fics for [](http://www.livejournal.com/users/busarewski/profile)[**busarewski**](http://www.livejournal.com/users/busarewski/). I thought, hey slap a third section on and instant fic! Fortunately for you, [](http://www.livejournal.com/users/silver_cyanne/profile)[**silver_cyanne**](http://www.livejournal.com/users/silver_cyanne/) didn't agree. I think she looked at it four times before it met with her seal of approval.

  
When Rodney walks into the lab after dinner, still licking the cookie crumbs off his fingers - the _Daedalus_ arrived the day before and there was a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies for dessert - he finds Zelenka staring intently at his laptop. "What are you doing?"

Radek adjusts the screen, tilting it closer to him, and pushes his glasses up his nose.

The strains of classical music are coming from the laptop and Rodney peers over Radek's shoulder. "Is that? Are you watching figure skating?"

"It is my cousin," Zelenka says, somewhat proudly. "He was in the world championships."

"Hmm. Well. I suppose that's alright, considering it's family." Rodney moves over to his own laptop. "No more figure skating after this, though, ok? There are only two real sports played on ice and figure skating is not one of them."

Zelenka rolls his eyes at him, but Rodney let its go unremarked - just this once because family news doesn't come very often - but seriously, figuring skating? You'd think a good Czech would take up hockey.

~*~

They're in the mess finishing up lunch, when Sheppard suddenly waves his arm and Zelenka comes over with his tray. As Radek slides into the chair next to him, Sheppard says, "McKay tells me your cousin is a figure skater."

Rodney stifles his sigh - he really doesn't want to even think about figure skating anymore today - and picks up his pudding cup.

"Yes," Radek replies, sniffing at the purple root vegetable on his plate, "he finished 16th in the world championships."

"16th, huh? That's not bad." Sheppard leans forward. "I suppose they're all doing quads now. I never did manage to land more than a double, myself. Actually, I never really liked jumps. Spins, now, spins were awesome."

Rodney's head snaps up from his pudding cup and he stares across the table at Sheppard. "You figure skated?!"

Sheppard shrugs. "Yeah, a little. It was something to do in the winter, you know? Why? Is that a problem?"

"What? No, of course it's not a problem! I just never pictured you doing something so, so..." Rodney waves his spoon, trying to come up with an adjective that won't be too derogatory.

"So what, McKay?" Sheppard drawls. "So unmanly?"

"Did I say that? I didn't say that!" Rodney looks at his watch. "Oh, look at the time. I have to go. Very important things waiting for me in the lab."

"So," Radek says, as Rodney picks up his tray, "did you really skate?"

Sheppard says, "That's for me to know and no one to find out."

Radek laughs and as Rodney walks away, he says, "You do know that Rodney will be hacking into your personnel record?"

Rodney smirks to himself. Of course he's going to hack into Sheppard's files. Sheppard has to be bluffing. Because, really, figure skating?

~*~

Sheppard is on his bed, laptop balanced on his thighs, when Rodney walks into his room completely unannounced. As he comes to a stop at the foot of the bed, Rodney crosses his arms and declares, "There's nothing in your files about figure skating."

Sheppard raises an eyebrow. "You hacked my files?"

"Yes, I hacked your files." Seriously, did Sheppard think he wouldn't?

"Figure skating isn't something the United States Air Force would be very interested in, McKay."

Rodney utters a strangled noise, valiantly attempting not to rant about the stupidity of the American military because that's not why he's there. He's there to get the truth. There will be plenty of opportunities later to rant about the idiots who run the United States.

"Probably wasn't anything in there about golf, either. Or horseback riding." Sheppard pauses. "Although, horseback riding can be as close to flying as you can get without wings."

"Yes, yes," Rodney says, silently asking for patience, "but we're not talking about horses or golf. We're talking about figure skating."

Sheppard closes his laptop and sets it on the bedside table. "Yes, I did figure skate. No, I didn't compete. It was just something I did for fun. The fact that it pissed my father off was just an added bonus."

"Oh, well." Rodney sits down on the bed. In an attempt to avoid the somewhat touchy topic of family, he asks, "Couldn't you have played hockey instead? I'm sure getting your face beat up would've been just as appalling."

"Maybe," Sheppard says, "but hockey is a manly sport."

Rodney can hear the air quotes and wonders just what happened to alienate Sheppard from his family. But he's hardly going to ask. "Well, what about curling? Curling is a real sport."

Sheppard rolls his eyes. "Curling isn't a sport, McKay."

Rodney huffs and begins to explain the wonders of curling, relieved that he's managed to turn the discussion back onto safe ground.

~*~

Rodney is at Sheppard's door before breakfast. He pushes his way inside once the door opens and thrusts a box into Sheppard's hands.

Sheppard looks at it questioningly, one eyebrow raised, but opens the box when Rodney waves at him to get on with it. He looks confused when he sees the figure skates and he frowns when he reads the note inside. "You e-mailed my brother?"

"You e-mail Jeannie."

"That's different. I've actually met her."

"Yes, well. I e-mailed your brother. Get over it." Rodney motions towards the door. "Come on, hurry it up, we've got an appointment on M3X-487."

"That isn't on the mission roster."

"It is now. Come on." He sees Sheppard put the box down on his bed. "And bring those with you."

Sheppard trails after him. Rodney is sure Sheppard is merely humoring him, that is until he finds the cold weather gear waiting for them. Sheppard peppers him with questions all the way to the gate room, where he finally stops talking when he sees Zelenka waiting with Teyla and Ronon.

They step through the gate into a world covered by snow and ice. It is, Rodney has to admit, beautiful. Though also damned cold.

Sheppard whistles. "Is this the land of the White Witch? Where's my Turkish Delight?"

Rodney snorts with laughter before he can stop himself. Of course Sheppard read _The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_. "No Turkish Delight for you, Colonel. Just figure skates."

"But Rodney," Sheppard whines.

"Don't make me demonstrate how I win every snowball fight I'm ever forced into," he threatens. Sheppard eyes him speculatively, but Rodney just shakes his head. "Chop chop, freezing here."

They follow Teyla a short distance through the woods. When they emerge, they're presented with the sight of a frozen lake. Rodney is quite sure it's frozen solid -- he took readings last week; no need to recklessly endanger Sheppard's life when he's perfectly capable of doing that without any assistance from Rodney.

"Ok, Colonel Spin, time to show us what you got." Rodney pulls out the figure skates and points towards a fallen log. He still can't quite believe he's actually holding figure skates.

Sheppard looks like he wants to protest, but instead he takes the skates and sits down. Removing his boots, he says, "Why did we have to come here? Couldn't you just have flooded that flat section on the northwest pier and frozen it?"

Rodney narrows his eyes. Just as he's gearing up to rant about Sam and her idiotic notions of military propriety, Zelenka says, "Colonel Carter, she would not let us."

"This is a nice place," Ronon says unexpectedly. "A little cold, but quiet."

Teyla smiles at him.

Rodney rolls his eyes because, hello, freezing here. He stamps his feet and rubs his hands together as he watches Sheppard step onto the lake and begin to tentatively glide around, picking up speed. He goes into a wobbly looking spin -- Rodney couldn't name the kind because he's never bothered to watch figure skating -- and when he comes out of it, Sheppard is grinning. Ordinarily, Rodney would make some snarky comment about gracefulness, or lack thereof, but that grin is the one that appears only when Sheppard's genuinely happy -- something that doesn't happen very often -- so he holds his tongue. It's hard, but it's worth it to see Sheppard like this.

His work here, Rodney decides, is done. And he never has to think about figure skating again.  



End file.
